Ball and socket joints are used in a variety of applications, including, but not limited to: rack and pinion inner tie rod socket assemblies, steering knuckles, drag links, and connecting rod assemblies. Such joints may typically include a cylindrical housing member adapted to receive a bearing together with a head of a ball stud. The bearing reduces the amount of friction between the housing and the stud while frequently adapting for wear induced looseness between the stud and housing members.
Such joints have several disadvantages. Typically, the stud head must be forced into the bearing, and/or in turn the bearing forced into the socket. Extremely tight tolerances are required. Even with such tolerances, some bearings may crack during assembly, particularly when very rigid, stiff, inelastic materials are used. To reduce cracking, heavier material is often used together with slots within the bearing itself. Load distribution in such slotted bearings typically results in undesirable wear between the various components. Further, the bearings of such joints are adapted for only limited wear, resulting in joint failure as stud head rotating torque decreases and axial end play increases.